The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Corinthians 11:13-16,
"Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering. If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice—nor do the churches of God."
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
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"Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering. If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice—nor do the churches of God."
We live in a country today where a supreme court justice cannot tell us what a woman is. Obviously, she knows. Everybody knows. However, the spiritual forces of evil are busy at work attempting to bring serious upheaval to mankind, with its ultimate goal of disrupting God's work in building his kingdom (have you heard that telling a child he is a sinner is considered child abuse and endangerment?). Trust me on this. All the social upheaval we see today is orchestrated, not so Democrats can rule the roost or the other way around, but designed to disrupt, ultimately, the work of the gospel.
As we read Paul's letters, it is clear one of his highest concerns was that there not be any impediment from within the church to the spreading of the gospel and the building of God's kingdom. In my mind, this passage of 1 Corinthians 11:2-16 cannot be understood apart from that concern of God's emissary, Paul.
In this section Paul speaks of gender-based concerns. The mere consideration of having gender-based concerns today makes this passage a red-hot volatile one. That is how twisted the world has become (by design of the spiritual forces of evil).
In this section Paul speaks of gender-based concerns. The mere consideration of having gender-based concerns today makes this passage a red-hot volatile one. That is how twisted the world has become (by design of the spiritual forces of evil).
In this passage Paul tells the fellowship in Corinth the same things he taught everywhere. He told them:
- Christ is the head of every man
- Man is the head of the woman
- The head of Christ is God
- If a man prays or prophesies with his head covered, it dishonors his head (Christ), he should not cover his head because he is the image and glory of God.
- If a woman prays or prophesies with her head uncovered, it dishonors her head (man), it would be a disgrace. She is the glory of man.
- The woman came from man, not the other way around, and she was created for man, not the other way around.
- The woman ought to have authority over her head (alternate reading: "a sign of authority on her head") because of the angels(???).
- In the Lord men and women are not independent of each other, woman came from man (Adam and Eve) but men are born of women.
From there Paul makes an appeal to common sense ("Judge for yourselves...") about these concerns. He points to "the very nature of things" in considering them. He also says that if anyone wants to argue about it, there is no other practice he can offer them, none in any other churches.
A couple of thoughts I have on this passage:
- It is cowardly for a believer to shy away from this passage (and other passages that deal with gender-based issues), because we might feel intimidated by the perverse cultural milieu we find ourselves in today. This is God's word that he intends for us to know.
- For believers to squabble and quarrel over a passage like this fulfills the desires and agenda of the spiritual forces of evil by hindering the work of building God's kingdom.
- This passage and others like it should be read, discussed and taught within the fellowship. The Holy Spirit had Paul write it because there is a message within it he wants us to know. We should find and implement the expression of that very message in the world we live in today.
- There may be some surprises to learn about this passage. Don't make assumptions. Knowing the cultural context that may have informed Paul's perspective as he revealed God's word is important. For instance, there are some commentators who see Paul using the term "head" (when referring to relationship) not of authority, but of source (like "the source of a river..."). Others, not.
I'd love to hear how you understand Paul's teaching on headgear.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
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